Scones, scones and more scones! September 17, 2009

My daughter is having her 4th birthday party tonight and her request was to have a Princess Tea Party.  She didn’t care what kind of food we had, just as long as she got to dress up like a princess!  So, I started thinking…tea…what goes with tea?  Scones!!  I don’t know about you, but I love them.  In the town I live in, it’s very hard to find good ones, so that leaves me having to make my own most of the time.  They can be labor intensive and hard to make or super easy, depending on the recipe.  And there are 2 distinct types, also.  Free-form, or drop scones and cut-out or shaped scones.  Both equally delicious, it just depends on how much time you wanna spend making them!

I’m gonna give you 2 recipes.  One savory, one sweet, both delicious!  Keep in mind scones are supposed to be a cross between a biscuit and a shortbread.  Kinda dense, kinda flaky, buttery….you get the idea.

The first recipe is taken from an Ina Garten recipe and of course, I had to tweak it a little.

Cheddar Dill Scones:

4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream 
12 oz. extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

 

The second is from Bon Appetit Magazine, also tweaked a little.

Blueberry Oat Scones:

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
11 tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (about 5 1/2 ounces) – you can even used dried blueberries
1 3/4 cups chilled half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 teaspoons raw sugar
 
PreparationPosition 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and coarse salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Add butter. Using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add 1 cup oats and blueberries; stir to blend evenly.

Stir half and half and vanilla in small bowl. Gradually add to flour mixture, tossing until dough just comes together (dough will be very moist).

Using 1/2-cup measuring cup for each scone, drop dough in mounds onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Sprinkle tops with remaining 3 tablespoons oats, then raw sugar.

Bake 15 minutes. Reverse sheets and continue baking until scones are golden and tester inserted into center from side comes out clean, about 12 minutes longer. Transfer scones to rack and cool slightly.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

So there you have it…2 recipes, 2 different methods, and 2 super delicious scones.  Have yourself a spot of tea, sit down, read a book and enjoy a scone!

What is curd? September 9, 2009

If you’re a foodie like me, or if you subscribe to food magazines or watch Foodnetwork, you’ve probably heard the term “fruit curd”,  perhaps lemon or lime.     It’s actually one of my favorite things to make, but I find that very few people know what it is.  The easiest thing I can compare it to is a custard.  However, it differs in that it contains a higher percentage of juice and zest, giving it a more intense flavor.  It is used for everything from a topping on biscuits, to a pie filling, to pastry filling…you get the idea.  It’s super versatile and pretty easy to make once you get the hang of it.  So, here is curd 101.

I’m going to use lemon as an example because it tends to be the most universal and easiest to make.  We’ll get into other variations later.

The basic recipe is 13 egg yolks, 1C lemon juice, 2C sugar, zest of 2 lemons.  Combine all ingredients into a medium saucepan and put on medium heat.  Ok, undertstand something….this is a process.  You don’t want a quick result and turning up the heat to make it cook faster will only ruin this.  Keep it on medium, keep stirring and be patient.  It really only takes about 15 minutes max, but it’s hard to give you an exact time because you’re looking for a result, not a timeline.  As it cooks, the mixture will thicken, becoming a thick, creamy yellow.  Don’t let it boil and when you get to the texture of a thick cream sauce or pudding, pull it off the heat.  While still stirring, add 1 stick of butter to mixture and stir until melted.  At this point, transfer the mix to a container to refrigerate.  Cover with plastic wrap and make sure to press plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd so a skin doesn’t form.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or until cooled through.  Mix will thicken up in fridge and become the consistency of thick custard.

This recipe can also be interchanged with lime, although I add a few drops of green food coloring at the end so people know it’s lime.  You can also make pineapple, orange, mango and others, but they require a different twist on the recipe.  If you wanna know about others, just ask me.

I typically use this as a quick dessert to take to scrapbook parties or church stuff.  I spoon some into phyllo cups and top with a berry and they look perfect!  Try it out and let me know what you think!